The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin is an orchestra based in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 1946 by American occupation forces as the RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester (RIAS being an acronym for "Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor" / "Radio In the American Sector"). It was also known as the American Sector Symphony Orchestra. In 1956 the radio orchestra was renamed the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin). In 1993 the orchestra took on its present name. The Orchestra's first principal conductor was Ferenc Fricsay.

Between the chief conductorships of Lorin Maazel and Riccardo Chailly, the orchestra did not have a single chief conductor. The major conductors who worked with the orchestra during this period, from 1976 to 1982, were Erich Leinsdorf, Eugen Jochum, Gerd Albrecht, Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Neville Marriner. The orchestra returned to having a single chief conductor in 1982 with Riccardo Chailly. Ingo Metzmacher became principal conductor as of the 2007-2008 season, with an original initial contract was until 2011. However, after reports of disputes over financing and a threatened reduction in the size of the orchestra, in March 2009, Metzmacher announced his early resignation from the DSO-Berlin principal conductorship as of the summer of 2010. His final concerts as the orchestra's principal conductor were in June 2010 in Berlin and in August 2010 at The Proms. In September 2010, the DSO-Berlin announced the appointment of Tugan Sokhiev as its next Principal Conductor and Artistic Director, as of 2012, with an initial contract of 4 years. In October 2014, Sokhiev stated that he would stand down from the DSO Berlin after the 2015-2016 season, to devote greater attention to his parallel post at the Bolshoi Theatre.